Bread & Butter: Famed Farmshop sets up shop in Larkspur

Acclaimed chef-owner Jeff Cerciello's Farmshop restaurant is set to open May 6 at Marin Country Mart.

Cerciello was the culinary director for Thomas Keller Restaurant Group for 10 years before opening Farmshop in Los Angeles two years ago and is a James Beard Award nominee for best restaurant design and named one of Newsweek magazine's "100 Best Restaurants in the World" in 2012.

"We wanted to expand into Northern California, where many of the producers and purveyors we work with are based," Cerciello says. "I felt Farmshop would also be a perfect fit in the Marin Country Mart. On more of a personal note, with my family based in Napa, it feels like a welcomed homecoming for me to return to the North Bay."

Farmshop's restaurant director is Michel Darmon and the executive chef is Mark Hopper, who both have worked at Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery and Ad Hoc in Yountville Hopper has also worked at the French Laundry in Yountville. Jerry McInerney, who has worked at Bouchon Beverly Hills and Las Vegas, is the general manager.

The 6,500-square-foot space houses the dining room, patio seating, full-bar and lounge area as well as the kitchen, open-hearth grill and wood-burning oven. The menu, featuring California and local foods, highlights a variety of pizzas topped with such items as wood-fired mushrooms, sliced lomo, caciocavallo and Marin Roots arugula, and grilled items such as grilled Marin Sun Farms beef rib eye served with smashed potato, mushroom conserva, Jesse's watercress and green peppercorn salsa.

The restaurant will initially open for dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily, and expand hours in the summer for lunch and weekend brunch as well.

Farmshop is at the Marin Country Mart at 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle in Larkspur. Go to www.farmshopla.com.

Juicy opening

More juice? Last week, we mentioned that Pressed Juicery opened at the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur and Juice Shop is set to open at Corte Madera Town Center in the next two months. Well, San Rafael's Urban Remedy, offering juices, cleanses, meal replacements and raw treats, opened April 9.

Owner Neka Pasquale of Mill Valley initially started Evo Spa in Mill Valley with her mother, Gail Ann, at which Pasquale had an associated acupuncture practice. She then started offering three- to five-day retreats at Stinson Beach where she taught her clients how to incorporate dietary principles into daily meals to improve their health. Pasquale saw her clients transform as they incorporated raw foods and juicing into their diets. She decided to open Urban Remedy to offer juices, foods and classes to support a healthy lifestyle.

Pasquale says she's different than other juice shops. "We are creating more of a lifestyle brand rather than juicing," she says.

All items are 100 percent organic, vegan, and dairy- and gluten-free. Lemonades ($4.95), juices ($8.75) and meal replacement drinks ($6.99) are available, as well as juice cleanses for $59.99 a day. Raw treats include such things as brownies (from $5.50), lemon or ginger brittles ($7) and kale chips ($7). Other items such as vitamin booster shots ($3), live raw vitamins in a base of probiotics, will be available in the future.

Urban Remedy is at 1904 4th St. in San Rafael. Call 855-UR-JUICE, or go to www.urbanremedy.com.

For the birds

Audubon Canyon Ranch and Marin Audubon Society are featuring the 50th annual Mother's Day Barbecue from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 12 rain or shine at Martin Griffin Preserve on Bolinas Lagoon in West Marin.

The event coincides with the height of the great egret nesting season at the preserve, which is rarely open to the public. In addition to a lunch of barbecue chicken or vegetarian quiche with side dishes under the trees in Volunteer Canyon, there are also other things to enjoy such as viewing the nesting site, hiking trails, an abundance of spring wildflowers and craft activities for the children.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $12 for children younger than 12; reservations are required by May 5. Proceeds will benefit the habitat protection and nature education programs of Audubon Canyon Ranch and Marin Audubon Society.